While at Facebook, Sullivan helped defend the company from a near constant onslaught of hackers seeking to steal the troves of personal information and pedophiles seeking young people on the site, according to a 2012 Forbes profile of him.

He was also responsible for what and how much user information Facebook gave to law enforcement when they asked for it.

"It's no longer about traditional metrics for safe transportation or keeping our community's data private and secure, but about how we lead efforts to redefine and strengthen physical and data security in the location-based world," said Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

The Massachusetts-born cybersecurity wizard headed security operations at eBay and PayPal for seven years before filling that role at Facebook for five. Prior to that, he worked prosecuting cybercrime at the Department of Justice.

"This is a chance to help build the culture of a young and growing organization, and to continue building upon the safety and security initiatives that are the backbone of Uber's success," Sullivan said.